Playing Dress Up
by tigersmeleth
Summary: Haldir and Legolas are rather bored in Lothlorien…so what better to do than to have fun…dressing up!


Thanks to everyone to reviewed my previous fics! ~Tigersmeleth  
  
SUMMARY: Haldir and Legolas are rather bored in Lothlorien...so what better to do than to have fun...dressing up!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing...absolutely nothing!  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not much is mentioned about the relationship between Haldir and Legolas, so this is of course, pure speculation and fun. Haldir's and Legolas' ages are never mentioned in any of the books, so for this story, they are the same age, and they are the elven equivalent to a nine-year old human child. Again...speculation, me taking some liberties with ages to make the story fit! Anyways, read on and enjoy!  
  
Playing Dress Up  
  
By Tiger  
  
A young Prince Legolas arrived with the Mirkwood party to Lothlorien for a visit, King Thranduil had business to do with Galadriel. Legolas was wandering by himself when he met Haldir, who was pretending to be a Galadrhim fighting orcs, waving a wooden sword and exclaiming.  
  
"Ha! I got you now! And a boom, and a swish, and a bang, bang, boom, you're gone you nasty orc!" Haldir was having so much fun, who knew it could be this fun pretending you were someone else?  
  
"What are you doing? You're an elf, almost and adult at that, you shouldn't be acting like that!" said Legolas, disapproval apparent in his voice.  
  
"Humph...YOU might be some prissy elf who thinks that he's older than he is, but I just want to have fun! Take your prissiness somewhere else if you don't want to be around...the mighty elven warrior!" Haldir retorted, his feelings bruised. He really didn't mean for the Prince of Mirkwood to see him like this, acting like a child. But what was done was done. He had to defend himself, show that he was just as good as he was pretending to be.  
  
Legolas shook his head. "No, mellon, you misinterpreted what I meant." Haldir looked at him with suspicious eyes.  
  
"Then what did you mean?" he said somewhat sulkily. Legolas grinned.  
  
"What I meant was that there are better people to pretend...and the type of pretending I have in mind...we can make fun of whoever we want." Legolas grinned, with conspiracy in his mind. He had wanted to do this all day, since he entered Lorien, but there had been nobody to play with, now he found the perfect playmate to do it with.  
  
"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Haldir impatiently. Legolas had been lost in thought for awhile with that infuriating grin on his face. He just wanted to get on with it, Bad enough that he had somehow made a fool of himself in front of the Prince of Mirkwood, but now, the Prince had dragged him into something he wasn't sure that he wanted to be dragged into.  
  
"Have you ever pretended to be a leader, like the Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked, a mischievous sparkle coming into his eyes. Haldir shook his head. Why would anyone want to pretend to be a leader, only to make fun of them? Leaders should be respected. Legolas sighed. Who was the prissy elf now? Haldir didn't know how to have fun. Pretending to be a warrior was fun yes, but that could get old. Pretending to be a leader, well that was another story.  
  
"Here, let me give you an example," Legolas stood up straighter and looked graver, and then somehow made his eyebrows slant downwards like Elrond's. "Behold, young elfling," he intoned in a deep voice, an almost perfect imitation of Elrond when he was most grave. "I am the great Lord Elrond, mater of all things healing! You, will obey me." Legolas was such a comical sight that Haldir had to laugh. All of a sudden, an idea hit him.  
  
"Legolas! I know who we can pretend to be!" said Haldir excitedly. At Legolas' nod he continued. "I was watching them the other day and thought about how fun it would be to be them, just for one day. But Rumil and Orophin were out so I couldn't do anything. But, we could try to be we could try to be the lady Galadriel and the Lord Celeborn! You wonder how they can be so somber all the time," Haldir tried to continue.  
  
"Yes, we can only wonder how almost no adult in the wood smiles or laugh," interrupted somewhat dryly. Haldir shot him a look and continued.  
  
"Well, my parents are out, patrolling the borders of Lorien, as are my brothers, but our dwelling is near here. We can pick up our--" here Haldir fumbled for a word. "Costumes" he finished. He grinned from ear to ear as Legolas realized what he was thinking of.  
  
"Yes," Legolas said. "Costumes would be excellent for the game,"  
  
"Great!" said Haldir. "Come on, I'll lead the way!" They tore through the wood, ignoring the stares of the adults as they ran back laughing to Haldir's home. Inside the dwelling, they ran to his parents' room and flung open the doors to the great wardrobe that stood in the middle of the room.  
  
Carefully, the elflings selected two outfits that would best match them. They had a slight argument about who was who, finally, after much of "No, you be the girl!" did they decide on the characters that they would each play. So they walked into the two dressing rooms, and started preparing for their parts, not knowing that a floor below them, there waited an unsuspecting audience...  
  
Moments later, Haldir emerged from his father's dressing room in a stern silver tunic and cloak. He looked into his mirror and nodded satisfactorily to himself. "This is great!" he thought, "I look just like him!"  
  
Legolas emerged from Haldir's mother's dressing room looking less than pleased. This wasn't what he meant by having fun. He looked down at the white dress he was wearing and sighed. Well, he had to make the best of things. So he took his hair out and arranged it the way he saw it on her this morning. If he was going to play Galadriel, he may as well have fun being her.  
  
He gracefully stepped out into the room; nearly tripping over the long gown he was wearing. He muttered to himself. "Women, why must they insist on wearing these ridiculous skirts?" He ahemed and called to Haldir in his most Galadriel-like voice. "Lord Celeborn, I require your presence in the greeting room, you will accompany me there." Legolas had to bite down his laughter as he saw Haldir emerge from his father's dressing room. Haldir looked like a young Celeborn, with clothing a tad too big.  
  
"Are we ready M'lday?" asked Haldir, sounding just like Celeborn in his acquiescing tone. Together they stepped down the stairs.  
  
Legolas kept his bearing very straight and regal, like he constantly observed that Galadriel was. As he descended the stairs, he had the odd, yet pleasant, feeling of floating down, as if his feet never touched the ground. "Do all women walk like that?" he thought to himself. "Why can't I?"  
  
Meanwhile, Haldir was trying to keep a straight face. Watching Legolas float down the stairs in an enormous dress almost make him fall down the stairs with laughter, It was funny, he never knew how much of a girl the Prince of Mirkwood was until today. To think...Legolas was actually willing to wear a dress in the name of fun and games! Well, now Legolas could no longer fault him for trying to pretend, not when Haldir had something like this to hold against him! He was thinking of all the incredible things he could do with Legolas now, the prince was just an ordinary child-elf, he too was prone to childhood fantasies and dress ups. As he thought about how similar the two of them were, his smile grew bigger. Then, the smile faded when they nearly reached the bottom of the stairs.  
  
Legolas and Haldir stood on the steps, frozen, staring at the people who stared back up at them from the bottom. Legolas groaned. He couldn't believe it. Haldir couldn't either. What were they doing here? They weren't supposed to be back until evening, and they certainly weren't supposed to have visitors right now. Each one opened their mouths to speak, to offer and explanation, each time, neither of them could speak. For there below them, stood Haldir's parents and brothers, Galadriel and Celeborn, and Thranduil.  
  
"Legolas!" Thranduil said sharply, though he had a twinkle in his eye. Legolas cringed. "What on Arda are you doing in such a ridiculous get up? For Valar's sake, you are a prince, and my son! You do not go around to visiting lands and dress up with some common elfling as their leader, have you absolutely lost your mind?" Legolas once again opened his mouth to speak, but found that he still could not. It seemed as if Thranduil had taken his voice away from him in that one lecture. He only looked forlornly at the ground, He knew that the play was over now, it was time for him to be a prince again. "I see that my words have had some effect upon your ears. Now go back up and change back into your tunic this very instant!"  
  
"Peace, Thranduil, let them be, for they are only children," came Galadriel's soothing voice.  
  
"Lady, I must apologize for my son's behavior. His audacity to dress like you, especially in front of you..." Thranduil's voice trailed off, he clearly was not too happy with the situation.  
  
"Thranduil, it has been in my experience that elflings chose to pretend they are another because they greatly admire the other person, be assured that Celeborn and I do not take offense, rather, we are flattered." Galadriel had a slight chuckle to her voice, as if she remembered her own childhood plays and dress ups. Celeborn nodded as well, to signify his agreement. Legolas had to stifle his laughter, for Celeborn's nod reminded him of Haldir's voice as Celeborn.  
  
"As for you Haldir," Haldir's father spoke up. He was a stern elf, he did not raise his son to make a fool of himself in front of royalty, but he knew a good joke when he saw it, and he saw it in this one for he too was having trouble keeping a smile down. "We are going to have a small talk later on about your behavior..."  
  
"But now, I believe it is time for the elflings to redress themselves, do you agree?" said Haldir's mother, wishing to spare the elflings more embarrassment. She knew they meant no harm, they were after all, children. Rumil and Orophin on the other hand, had to leave to go outside where their howling laughter was heard everywhere. Haldir's mother resolved to have a small talk with him.  
  
Everyone nodded, and Haldir and Legolas slowly made their way back up. When they reached the room, they were laughing hysterically. They never thought that their portrayal of Lorien's rulers would be so accurate, yet so amusing. They looked at each other, and knew that this wouldn't be the last of their dress ups, not as long as they saw each other, wherever they were.  
  
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A week later, it was time for Legolas and Haldir to say goodbye to each other, for the Mirkwood party had to go home. The dress up incident had been entirely forgotten by everyone except the two in the middle of it.  
  
"Legolas Thranduilion, you will always be known to me." Haldir solemnly said.  
  
"As you will always be known to me, Haldir, mellon." Legolas said just as solemnly. Then he leaned in and whispered. "The next time we play, you can play the Lady Celebrien, and I will be Elrond!"  
  
Haldir gave him a playful hit. "Not on your life! Besides, you and I know that out of the two of us, only you have the womanly beauty to play one!" Haldir quickly left before Legolas could do anything but sputter. He also left him a small package. Legolas opened the lid a little and peeked under it, then quickly covered it again.  
  
"Valar!" he thought. "He gave me his mother's dress!" He groaned...it appeared that Haldir would never let him forget the day he played to be Galadriel. "Maybe," he thought again. "Maybe I should learn from Haldir, and only pretend to be warriors! But Elrond was a warrior also..." he mused, and for the rest of the journey home, his mischievous mind was coming up with ways to repay Haldir for his parting gift.  
  
~Finis 


End file.
